This Adorable Sloth Clings To A Highway Barrier In Ecuador

The Rainforest Site

By The Rainforest Site

TRS_Blog_DTOP_BelowTitle_336x280

A cute little sloth had no idea it was about to go viral on social media as it clung to a traffic barrier on a road outside Quevedo, Ecuador. It didn't understand what was happening at all. Maybe it wondered why the noisy human world wouldn't let it go to the bathroom in peace. Overall, it probably just wanted to get back to the tree where it normally lives.

It's not known how the stranded little sloth made it to the center of a four-lane highway, but that's where it was found, clinging for dear life to a stanchion as traffic passed it on either side. Given how very slowly sloths move, it's no surprise that the Transport Commission of Ecuador had to be called in to help rescue the young sloth, since it certainly couldn't have moved quickly enough to get back to safety on its own.

The Transport Commission officials took the sloth to a veterinarian, who gave the animal a full checkup and determined that it was in fine shape and able to return to its native habitat. The Transport Commission folks then helped the little sloth get home safely – but not before they snapped a few photos.

The photos of the cute sloth went viral quickly. Over one weekend, the pictures on Facebook were shared more than 15,000 times and garnered tens of thousands of likes. Perhaps this was because the little sloth appeared to be so helpless and yet so happy, with a big smile on its face as it was rescued, even though the “smile” is just part of its normal expression.

Sloths are the slowest animal in the world, and they rarely come out of their rain forest, so humans rarely to get to see them in the wild. Check out some more amazing facts about sloths here.

Lockerdome TRS – desktop

Proper TRS rainforestsite_belowcontent

The Rainforest Site is a place where people can come together to protect our environment for generations to come. In addition to signing important environmental petitions, shopping for the cause, and learning about the natural world, visitors can take just a moment each day to click on a green button to preserve vital wildlife habitat. Visit The Rainforest Site and click today - it's free!